Hair algae frustration

[TwoLittleTangs]

Hi everyone, I'd like a second opinion on my problem. About two months ago, I noticed that my tank had the beginnings of hair algae growth. Now I have long tufts of it all over the place, i high and low flow/ lighted areas. Along with the longer tufts, i have areas with a short blanket of it covering the rocks. Some red slime is also present on the rocks. I cant figure out what the problem is:

150gal total volume Ultra Low Nutrient SPS System (vodka dosed)

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0
Calcium 450
dkh- 6.5
ph- 8.0
mag- 1440
Phos- 0.00 (phosban reactor)
temp- 78.8F

Aside from keeping my parameters in check, i only dose AquaForest Build and Energy

Lighting is an Evergrow IT5012 running from 8am to 8pm (slowly been upping the lights to a stronger percentage)

Flow is an Mp10 and MP40 anti sync to Reef Crest Mode as well as two Hydor Koralia 1950GPH

Water changes every second weekend with RO/DI water (0 TDS reading, just checked this morning)

I have a refugium with chaeto being lit 24/7

I just cant see how this stuff is growing in my tank. Possibly just need a bigger clean u crew? I would love for some opinions on my issue, thanks in advance!

[ladynavyvet]

Originally Posted by TwoLittleTangs

Hi everyone, I'd like a second opinion on my problem. About two months ago, I noticed that my tank had the beginnings of hair algae growth. Now I have long tufts of it all over the place, i high and low flow/ lighted areas. Along with the longer tufts, i have areas with a short blanket of it covering the rocks. Some red slime is also present on the rocks. I cant figure out what the problem is:

150gal total volume Ultra Low Nutrient SPS System (vodka dosed)

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0
Calcium 450
dkh- 6.5
ph- 8.0
mag- 1440
Phos- 0.00 (phosban reactor)
temp- 78.8F

Aside from keeping my parameters in check, i only dose AquaForest Build and Energy

Lighting is an Evergrow IT5012 running from 8am to 8pm (slowly been upping the lights to a stronger percentage)

Flow is an Mp10 and MP40 anti sync to Reef Crest Mode as well as two Hydor Koralia 1950GPH

Water changes every second weekend with RO/DI water (0 TDS reading, just checked this morning)

I have a refugium with chaeto being lit 24/7

I just cant see how this stuff is growing in my tank. Possibly just need a bigger clean u crew? I would love for some opinions on my issue, thanks in advance!

Does it look anything like this? If yes, you have my deepest sympathy, I too am having a issue with with it. What will eat this algae, is the a reef safe fish that will activity graze on it?

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[EzReefs]

Try some turbo snails. Those things can really mow down some hair algae. If algae is present though, you do have nutrients in your water.

[ladynavyvet]

Originally Posted by EzReefs

Try some turbo snails. Those things can really mow down some hair algae. If algae is present though, you do have nutrients in your water.

I can't keep snails going in my reef tank, but now that my sand conks have been moved out, maybe the last one or 2 i have living could do the job.

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[outssider]

Originally Posted by EzReefs

Try some turbo snails. Those things can really mow down some hair algae. If algae is present though, you do have nutrients in your water.

+1 on the turbos if it is hair algae. Are you sure it's not bryopsis, if it is, turbos wont eat it

[karimwassef]

In order:

Get a rabbitfish (they eat almost all algae)
Add a turf scrubber with enough light that it competes with your DT photo energy and flow
Make sure your Mg > 1600, Alk > 8, Ca > 450, pH > 8.2. Coralline competes best there.
Reduce your feeding or DT photo period
Add a GFO

[TwoLittleTangs]

Yes it does, just small patches popping up everywhere on the rockwork. Ill have to buy a small army of turbo's and see if that takes a jag out of it. I'm not sure where there would be excess nutrients in the water, my phosban runs 24/7 and as soon as i test and see phosphates the media gets changed out. nitrates are absolute zero and i feed once daily, thats it.

[TwoLittleTangs]

is there a specific type of rabbitfish you'd recommend?

[mgreenough]

I have a similar hair algae issue which my foxface, sea hare or turbos have not made a dent in it. Athough my foxface is nice and fat now along with my other fish, as the algae will serve as breeding grounds fof lots of pods. I have also tried vibrant (never touched the algae) and also lanthanum chloride. It has got so bad my macro algae in the sump has melted away due to lack of nutrients as the gha is using it all. I am finally going to try fluconazole to rid the issue.



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[karimwassef]

Foxface is a kind of rabbitfish. I like the single or double stripe

[Foundry]

A few months ago we had a HUGE GHA issue in our tank. When I say huge I mean we had beautiful waves of sea grass. It actually looked really really cool and the clowns seemed to enjoy it. BUT then it overgrew and killed the GSP and a zoa colony before I could control it.

Here's what I did for my tank, our out break was 4 months ago.
-Lighting
Blue Antic 8hr blue/whites for 6hr (programmable/adjustable LED black brick)
-PhosPad for 3 weeks
-Lawnmower Blenny added 1 month in
-Sea Hare added 2.5 months in

The SeaHare was an un-planned addition and I was concerned about food supply with a blenny and sea hare. But my wife saw the sea hares at our LFS and fell in love. Fortunately neither are pigs and keep the GHA at bay without staving out. The Seahare will munch of nori fortunately.

Within 4 months this drastically sorted out our issue. During this time I was also attempting to increase tank nutrients to encourage coral growth. I wasn't sure if the two plans would cancel each other out but everything is working as planned now.

[Lsufan]

I was fighting HA, cyno & some Dino for close to a year in a ulns & tried just about everything to no avail. About 3 months ago I started dosing vibrant & after 2 months of dosing everything looked the same. So I also started dosing algea fix & after a couple weeks I had a few corals that didn't look to happy so I quit dosing both. About 2 weeks after I quit dosing I did my weekly water change, syphoned what I could like I always do. Usually it starts coming back after a couple days but this time it didn't. About that time I noticed the HA receding also. It's only been a couple weeks but the tank is cleaner then it has been in a year.

I guess im not much of a help because I'm not sure if the tank finally settled down on its own & got past the phase or if the vibrant & algeafix is what did it. If I had to guess it was a combo of both, but I think the vibrant helped it just took a couple months to start seeing the progress. I'm usually not big on chemicals, that's why I fought the algea for so long before trying. I do think it helped though.

I am in the process of making a ATS for that system which is uln. On my other tank I have high nutrients, like 25 to 30ppm nitrate. I have a fuge on that system though so even with the higher nutrients I have absolutely zero algea in the display. I use the same source water for both systems & have algea problems with the uln system but not a lick of algea in the system with higher nutrients. The only difference is the fuge growing macro. It made me a believer that growing algea where u want it to grow is the way to go.

[sus]

If you have algae, you don't have an ULNS. That's an oxymoron. I'd reduce feeding, add some CUC and see what happens

[ladynavyvet]

Originally Posted by sus

If you have algae, you don't have an ULNS. That's an oxymoron. I'd reduce feeding, add some CUC and see what happens

Sorry, CUC?

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[EzReefs]

Clean up crew

[ladynavyvet]

Originally Posted by EzReefs

Clean up crew

I've got some, a peppermint shrimp, i recently, maybe 2 weeks ago added 3 little hermit crabs, but have a hell of a time keeping turbo snails alive. I bought 3 black ones about 3 weeks ago, they won't stay "right side up, and eating anything. Help???

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[sus]

A handful of shrimp and craps isn't really an adequate cuc. If you look at the reefcleaners site, for a 150 gal you are looking at over 250 snails (different types) and 30+ hermits.
I think thats besides the point though. There is clearly excess nutrients feeding your algae. You are testing zero because the algae is stripping it from the water as it becomes available. Also, an ULNS refers to some sort of carbon dosing to reduce the nutrients, not just having super low nutrients (due to algae using them all).
Like I said, I'd cut back feeding, add cuc (though it's kind of concerning that you can't keep snails alive...) and check your source water. Maybe there is something in your water causing this.

[mgreenough]

Originally Posted by sus

A handful of shrimp and craps isn't really an adequate cuc. If you look at the reefcleaners site, for a 150 gal you are looking at over 250 snails (different types) and 30+ hermits.
I think thats besides the point though. There is clearly excess nutrients feeding your algae. You are testing zero because the algae is stripping it from the water as it becomes available. Also, an ULNS refers to some sort of carbon dosing to reduce the nutrients, not just having super low nutrients (due to algae using them all).
Like I said, I'd cut back feeding, add cuc (though it's kind of concerning that you can't keep snails alive...) and check your source water. Maybe there is something in your water causing this.

250 snails in a 150 gallon, wow that is a ludicrous amount of snails. I have in total 10 various snails in my 150 and they are visible all the time grazing. 250 would most likely crash your system when they die and pollute the tank.

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[sus]

Originally Posted by mgreenough

250 snails in a 150 gallon, wow that is a ludicrous amount of snails. I have in total 10 various snails in my 150 and they are visible all the time grazing. 250 would most likely crash your system when they die and pollute the tank.

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Just giving an example from the most reputable cuc site around. Just making my point that having a few shrimp and crabs is not really a cuc.

Again though, the fact that you can't keep snails alive would be a red flag for me...

[GreenTankCorals]

I have personally never bought into adding more livestock (snails etc) to get rid of the algae issues which in turn, are caused by the dead organic matter.

What happens when snails die under the rocks adding phosohates to the water column?

I guess it's one thing if you closely inspect your tank every day but most of us work, come home late. I travel often. Adding CUC is not a good strategy, at least for me.

[ladynavyvet]

Originally Posted by sus

Just giving an example from the most reputable cuc site around. Just making my point that having a few shrimp and crabs is not really a cuc.

Again though, the fact that you can't keep snails alive would be a red flag for me...

It is for me as well. All my water for my 40 gallon tank comes from the lfs, they have a commercial system on site, and test daily for purity. I will increase the numbers of the CUC in my tank asap. I'm keeping an eye on the nutrients in the water on a daily basis.

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[sus]

Originally Posted by GreenTankCorals

I have personally never bought into adding more livestock (snails etc) to get rid of the algae issues which in turn, are caused by the dead organic matter.

What happens when snails die under the rocks adding phosohates to the water column?

I guess it's one thing if you closely inspect your tank every day but most of us work, come home late. I travel often. Adding CUC is not a good strategy, at least for me.

Well, that's why you have a crew. When a snail dies, the other critters clean up the dead one before it decays. Also, a few dead snails in 150 gallon isn't going to do anything to affect water quality and if it does, you've got bigger issues

[ladynavyvet]

Originally Posted by sus

Well, that's why you have a crew. When a snail dies, the other critters clean up the dead one before it decays. Also, a few dead snails in 150 gallon isn't going to do anything to affect water quality and if it does, you've got bigger issues

But, in a smaller tank, I'd think we'd have to be far more careful in our number of crew members.

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[Nugooch]

1) I would use a different test kit and check you levels. Maybe the a sample to your a LFS. I agree with above, if the snails are dying, there is something wrong.

2) I had a huge hair algae issue a few months ago because I was an idiot and set up my tank next a window with no blinds, curtains or anything. My yellow tang would eat the algae, and I bought a set of blinds, but to reduce it I had to go the old fashion route of pulling it out. (plus started running Phosguard) I actually used synthetic bristle gun bore cleaners.... the bristles do a great job of grabbing the algae and tangling it up so it can be pulled out. When I was done I would make sure to empty my filter sock of the loose pieces. I would work a little at a time each day and took my about 2 weeks to get rid of it. (about 1/4 of my 120 was covered). Now I actually have to clip algae strips for my tang to eat because none of it has grown back.

[ladynavyvet]

Originally Posted by Nugooch

1) I would use a different test kit and check you levels. Maybe the a sample to your a LFS. I agree with above, if the snails are dying, there is something wrong.

2) I had a huge hair algae issue a few months ago because I was an idiot and set up my tank next a window with no blinds, curtains or anything. My yellow tang would eat the algae, and I bought a set of blinds, but to reduce it I had to go the old fashion route of pulling it out. (plus started running Phosguard) I actually used synthetic bristle gun bore cleaners.... the bristles do a great job of grabbing the algae and tangling it up so it can be pulled out. When I was done I would make sure to empty my filter sock of the loose pieces. I would work a little at a time each day and took my about 2 weeks to get rid of it. (about 1/4 of my 120 was covered). Now I actually have to clip algae strips for my tang to eat because none of it has grown back.

Synthetic bore brushes, I'll be stopping by my favorite sporting goods store this weekend, before mine gets any thicker.

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